Sponsors (21)
The bill prioritizes preventing federal Medicaid funds from covering elective abortion—providing policy clarity and preserving limited emergency exceptions—at the cost of increased out-of-pocket expenses, reduced access, and administrative strain for low-income patients and providers, especially in states that rely on §1115 demonstrations.
Medicaid and Section 1115 projects would be barred from using federal Medicaid funds to pay for elective abortions, preventing federal tax dollars from financing those procedures.
States gain clearer policymaking certainty that federal Medicaid funds cannot be used for elective abortion care, reducing legal ambiguity around §1115 demonstrations and waiver design.
The bill preserves federal coverage in emergency and exception circumstances (rape, incest, life-threatening conditions, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy), maintaining federally supported access in recognized urgent cases.
Low-income women on Medicaid would face higher out-of-pocket costs or greater difficulty obtaining elective abortions because federal Medicaid funds could not be used to cover them.
People whose pregnancies do not meet the bill's narrow exceptions would see reduced access to abortion services—especially in states with few providers—effectively narrowing reproductive choice for many.
Pregnant people in states that rely on §1115 demonstrations could lose federally financed abortion coverage and related travel or lodging supports, creating geographic disparities in access and forcing some to travel farther or forgo care.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Bars HHS from approving or extending Medicaid §1115 waivers that provide federal funding, coverage, or travel/lodging for elective abortions, with narrow exceptions for rape, incest, life‑threatening conditions, miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy.
Introduced January 24, 2025 by Josh Brecheen · Last progress January 24, 2025
Prohibits the HHS Secretary from approving or renewing Medicaid §1115 demonstration waivers that provide federal funds, coverage, or travel/lodging for elective abortions, while allowing exceptions for rape, incest, life‑threatening conditions certified by a physician, miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy; the rule takes effect on enactment. The bill also states congressional findings that the Hyde Amendment’s prohibition on using taxpayer dollars for most abortions applies to all Medicaid funds and cannot be superseded by §1115 waivers.